The Recruit: Book Two (15 page)

He leaned in closer.  “Where are her swords,
Selena?”

“Leave me alone, Chen.”  She moaned,
covering her face with her hands.

He tugged them away from her face.  “She
isn’t dead, is she?”

She stared at him, her face pale and her
lips trembling.  “No.”

Chen took a deep breath as a combination of
joy and relief surged through him. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know.”  She started to cry and he
squeezed her hands gently.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Jeremy, Hannah and I followed Marcus to
the gravel pit.  We attacked but he was so damn quick, Chen.  I’ve never seen a
vampire move like that.  He grabbed Jeremy and was choking him.  He offered
Hannah a deal.  If she came with him, no one else would die.  She refused and
he – “ she stopped, tears spilling down her cheeks, “he killed Jeremy.  He just
– just snapped his neck with one hand like it was nothing.”

Chen squeezed her hands again and she
latched on to them with panicky tightness.  “We attacked him again and that’s
when he sliced me open with his fingernails.  He told Hannah things -
details
– about the people she loved.  He said if she didn’t come with him, he would
kill them all.”

She looked down at the blanket.  The tears
were splashing on to the light blue fabric creating tiny spots of dark blue.  “He
knew about a bunch of us.  He threatened Will, Mannie, Reid, my family.  He
knew their names and what my father did for a living.  He threatened your
sister Amy.”

At Chen’s sharp inhale she glanced up.  “How
did he know about us and our families, Chen?  How?”

“I don’t know.”  Chen replied.

“Hannah agreed to go with him.  She took
his hand and he was about to bite her and she sliced his chest open with her
sword.  She cut his heart out and showed it to him.”  She whispered.

“I thought it was done then and for a
moment I was filled with such relief.”  She stared at him earnestly.  “Marcus
was dead but –“

“But there’s Samuel.”  Chen interrupted. 
Selena had told them that Marcus had taunted them and mentioned his master Samuel.
 Richard and the others were positive that he was the head vampire.

Selena nodded.  “Hannah dragged me to
safety and then she started the fire and burned Jeremy’s body.  She told me
what to tell you.  I didn’t want to.  I swear it!”

She bit her lip.  “I begged her not to do
it.  You have to believe me.  I told her that I couldn’t tell you and the
others that she had died.  She put her sword to her chest and said she would
kill herself right there if I didn’t.”

Selena gave him a look of stark despair.  “She
would have, Chen.  I could see it in her eyes.”

She began to cry in earnest then, holding
her stomach as the sobs racked her small body and Chen gathered her into his
arms.  He rocked her gently back and forth until her crying had slowed down and
she leaned away.

“She told me she loved me and then she
left.  I don’t know where.  She’s all alone and she has no money and she’s been
bitten so many times.  Every vampire that gets within twenty feet of her will
be after her.  For all we know she could be dead by now.”

“Thank you for telling me.”  Chen kissed
her forehead.

She grabbed his arms.  “You can’t tell
anyone - especially not Will or her parents.  Promise me!”

He nodded.  “I promise.  Your secret is
safe.”

She stared up at him.  “Do you think she’s
still alive?”

“I do.  Hannah is smart and strong.  She’s
a survivor.”

He stood and rested his hand briefly on the
top of Selena’s head.  “Get some rest, Selena.  Everything will be alright.”

* * *

Chen was nearly to his apartment when
Mannie met him in the hallway.  “He’s back.”

“Where is he?”

“In his apartment.  Alan saw him coming out
of the kitchen.  He chased after him, tried to speak with him but I guess Will
just completely ignored him.”

He rubbed hands together nervously.  “I was
about to go to his apartment.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Mannie nodded with undisguised relief.  “Thanks,
man.”

They walked quickly to Will’s apartment. 
Mannie knocked and when there was no answer, tried the doorknob.  It opened and
they stepped into the room.

“Hello Will.”  Chen said quietly.

Will, standing in the kitchen wearing
nothing but a pair of dark shorts, glanced at him.  “Hello Chen.”  He tore open
a package of raw steaks and lifted up one of the bloody slabs.

Mannie studied him carefully.  He had lost
weight; the shorts were hanging from his hips and his cheeks were hollow and
there were deep, dark circles under his eyes.  His feet and lower legs were
black with dirt and there was a half-healed slash across his chest.

“When was the last time you ate, man?”  He
asked as he and Chen stepped into the small kitchen.

Will shrugged before biting into the raw
steak.  “I don’t remember.”

Mannie tried not to wince as he watched
Will eat the raw meat.  “Are you okay?”

Mannie wilted a little at the look of dark
disgust Will gave him.  “I’m fine.”

“We’re sorry for your loss.”  Chen said.

Will grunted in reply and opened the fridge
door.  He pulled a bottle of beer from it and opened it, taking a long drink
before wiping his mouth.

“Do you want to talk about it?”  Mannie
asked softly.

“Talk about what?”  Will tore off another
piece of meat.

“Hannah.”  He replied.

“She’s dead.  What’s there to talk about?”  Will
said darkly.

“I just thought maybe – “

“I’m tired, Mannie.  I need to eat and I
need to sleep.  I don’t mean to be rude but can you guys leave?”

“Will, you shouldn’t – “ Mannie started to
protest and Chen rested a hard hand on his arm.

“Of course Will.  We’ll see you in the
morning.”  The slender Asian man gave him a short bow and pulled Mannie from
the apartment.

“Welcome home, little worm.”  Samuel’s low
voice drifted across the room. 

Michael winced and immediately fell to his
knees on the floor.  “Forgive me, my lord.”

“It has been two weeks since you and your
master left my house.  Have you been wandering in the desert like the lost
children of God?”  Samuel’s voice held more than a hint of amusement.

“No, my lord.”  Michael whispered.

“Has your master sent you in his stead?  A
wiggling little worm like you?”

Michael shook his head, sucking in his
breath when he felt Samuel’s hand on the top of his bald head.  “My Master has
abandoned me.”

Samuel laughed.  “Your master is dead.”

Michael glanced up at him, his eyes
widening.  “My lord, I – “

“Quiet, little worm.”  Samuel’s hand
squeezed into his flesh and Michael let out a low moan.

“How did you survive?”

Michael trembled lightly.  “I – I hid in
the woods, my lord.”

“Of course you did.  You were never very
brave were you, little worm?”

Michael shook his head.  “No m’lord.”

Samuel stared down at him thoughtfully, his
hand stroking across the cold flesh of Michael’s head.  “You served your master
well though.  Did you not?”

“I tried, m’lord.”

“Perhaps there is a place for you here.  I
could use someone like you – someone who creeps and hides like a gutter rat.”

“I will serve you well, my lord.”  Michael
said eagerly.

“Yes, I suppose you would.”  Samuel smiled
and started to turn away.

Michael grasped the bottom of his pant leg.
 “My lord, what of the woman?  Did we capture her?”

Samuel stiffened and turned around. 
Michael shrank back at the look in his eyes.  Samuel leaned down and Michael
forced himself not to wince as his putrid breath washed over him.

“The woman?  The woman is dead, thanks to
the incompetency of
your
master.  I will tell you this now and trust
that you will believe it to be the truth.  Your master was a useless, whining
twat and I am more disturbed by the woman’s death than I am by his.  The woman
would have been a great ally to our cause.  Together, she and I would have led
our people to victory over the humans and all the other creatures that walk
this earth.  But instead,
your
idiot master killed her before dying
himself.  Not only did he kill the thing I wanted most, he also denied me the
pleasure of killing him!” 

Samuel’s voice had risen to a scream, his
pale face contorted into a mask of rage and Michael shrieked in terror as Samuel
pulled a sword from the scabbard hanging around his waist. 

“My lord, have mercy!  Mercy!” 

Snarling and spitting, Samuel swung the
sword.  Michael’s head flew from his body, rolling across the floor before
bumping lightly against the foot of the familiar sitting in the armchair next
to the fireplace.

The familiar kicked it away, his face a
mask of disgust, before Michael’s head and body burst apart.  Samuel, breathing
heavily, sifted through the ashes with his boot-clad foot before glancing up at
his familiar.  “Get someone in here to clean this up – now.”

“Yes, my lord.” The familiar bowed and
nearly ran from the room.

* * *

“We need to discuss last week’s hunt.”  Richard
stared gravely at the group of instructors who had joined him in his office.

“We came dangerously close to losing the
entire team.  Mannie, do you want to explain what happened?”

Mannie shrugged, glancing briefly at Alison
who was sitting next to him and taking notes.  She smiled warmly at him and he
returned it before looking back at Richard.  “There were more vampires than
expected.”

Richard sighed.  “So I heard.  What I’m
talking about is the lack of communication between the team members.”

He gave Will a hard look.  “Specifically
you, Will.  You cannot continue to use such reckless judgement while hunting. 
You’re putting the whole team in jeopardy when you do that.”

Will stood.  “Why don’t you go ahead and
fire me then, Richard?”

When Richard didn’t reply, Will snorted
softly.  “I’ve killed more vampires for you in the last five months then I have
in the last ten years.  You don’t like my new methods then stop sending me out
with the team.  I hunt better alone anyway.”

“Will, I know you’re grieving but you need
– “

“Am I fired, Richard?”  Will asked softly.

“Of course you’re not fired.”  Richard
replied huffily.  “But it doesn’t mean that you – “

Will crossed the room and left, shutting
the door quietly behind him.

“Christ.”  Richard swore softly. He stared
blankly at the others in the room.  “What the fuck do I do with him?”

He looked at Douglas and Constance.  “Do
either of you have any ideas?”

Constance shook her head.  “He’s barely
spoken two sentences to me in the last five months.”

Douglas sighed heavily.  “He comes to my
apartment every night for a beer but he refuses to even say her name.”

Alan stroked his dark beard.  “I’ve been
trying repeatedly to get him into therapy sessions.  He’s doing an excellent
job of avoiding me.”

“He’ll be fine.”  Mannie said.  “He just
needs more time.  And the hunt went fine.”

Richard shook his head.  “Don’t lie to me,
Mannie.  I know how close you and Chen came to dying.”

Mannie stared accusingly at Reid who
returned it calmly.

“Goddamn asshole.”  Mannie muttered.

“You may be willing to die for the Lycan
but I’m not.”  Reid suddenly snarled.

“So you go running to Richard?”  Mannie
jumped from his seat, his fists clenched.

“Will is suicidal, Mannie.  We all know it
– you just refuse to admit it.”  Reid rose out of his seat.

“He is not, you stupid son of a bitch!”  Mannie
shouted.  “The woman he loves is dead!  You can’t expect him to be back to
normal in a few months.  If you weren’t such a cold-hearted bastard you’d
realize that.”

“Fuck you, Mannie!”  Reid snapped. 

Mannie stalked towards him.  “Why don’t we
take this outside?  I’m fucking tired of your attitude and your – “

“My attitude?  You cocky bastard!”  Reid
shouted.  “If it hadn’t been for me, you would have died at the hunt last
week.  I’m sick of your inability to see what’s right in front of your fucking
face!”

“ENOUGH!”  Douglas suddenly roared.  The
old Lycan jumped to his feet and the others stared in shock as his body began
to swell.  The buttons on his shirt popped off as his chest grew larger and his
eyes began to glow with a fierce yellow light.

“Douglas!”  Constance’s voice broke through
his haze of anger and Douglas turned towards her.  She shook her head slightly
and Douglas forced himself to take several deep breaths.

He stared daggers at Mannie and Reid;
although his body had returned to normal his eyes were still a dark yellow and
he curled his lip at them.  “I’ve had enough of your goddamn sheep whining and
your petty squabbling.  We have bigger problems!  There have been a record
number of vampire attacks in the last six months.  Members of my own kind have
aligned themselves with the leeches!  If we do not put aside our differences
and work together to find this Samuel, the uprising will happen.  And I don’t
know about you fucking crybabies but I will not live under the rule of the
vampire.”

“We’ll find him, Douglas.”  Richard spoke
soothingly.  Like the others, he had been completely taken aback by the usually
mild-mannered Lycan’s outburst, and he shuffled the papers nervously on his
desk as Douglas returned to his seat.

Alan stood and glanced at his watch.  “Are
we finished, Richard?  I have a therapy session.”

Richard nodded.  “I have a few more things
to discuss but you don’t need to be here for it.”

As Alan left the room, Richard glanced at
Chen.  The Asian man had not moved from his spot against the wall, not even
during Reid and Mannie’s fight or Douglas’ outburst, and Richard frowned at him
for a moment.  The death of Hannah had obviously hit him hard.  The instructor,
quiet to begin with, barely spoke at all now.

He sighed heavily.  “Alison?”

Alison nodded and flipped a few pages into
her notebook.  “We’ve had some new information from Intel.  Vampires have been
seen for the last two months at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of
town.  We think it might be some kind of meeting spot for them.  They’ve been
congregating there every Thursday night and their numbers have been
increasing.”

“Are we sure it’s not a trap?”  Constance
asked. 

Alison shrugged.  “We consider everything
to be a trap.  They obviously know about us and there’s the possibility that
they’re trying to lure us in.  Meeting every Thursday would certainly suggest
they might be, but as long as we’re aware of the possibility we still have the
upper hand.”

“How many vampires are meeting there?”  Reid
questioned.

“Last week, over sixty were counted.”

“Jesus.”  Mannie shook his head.  “We’d
need a team of at least twenty to take them out.”

Richard cleared his throat.  “We’re not
going in to destroy them, Mannie.”

Mannie blinked.  “What do you mean?”

“The Board has decided we would have better
luck if we captured a vampire or two.”

“Captured?”  Reid snorted derisively.  “Do
you really think that one – we can capture a fanger alive and two – they’ll
tell us anything?”

Richard glared at him.  “It’s not my
decision, Reid.  The Board is convinced that this Samuel is the leader of the
uprising and that he’s set up camp somewhere in our area.  They’ve told us
we’re to capture one and question it, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Reid snorted again as Chen pushed away from
the wall and said softly, “What about the mystery group?”

Richard folded his hands on his desk.  “We
don’t even know for sure that there is a mystery group, Chen.”

Chen stared gravely at him.  “At two of our
last five hunts, the vampires were dead before we even arrived.  Nothing left
but blood and ash.  In the last three months there have been four reported
cases in the media of entire groups of young men disappearing from the bars
around town.  Men we know to be vampires.”

Richard sighed.  “This group of vampire
killers, if they even exist, are really none of our concern.  They’ve made our
hunts easier but I’m not going to waste valuable resources trying to track them
down.  There are bound to be other smaller-scale groups out there.  We know of
a group in Western Europe who have been killing vampires for thousands of years,
and they’re only a quarter of the size of our organization.”

“We could try and contact them.”  Chen
said.  “Join forces perhaps.  They’re obviously effective at killing vampires.”

Richard shook his head.  “I’m not sure the
Board would agree to it.”

He turned back to the others.  “This hunt
is strictly a find and capture mission.  We’re sending in a large team.  We’ll
need all the hands we have to capture one.  I’ll let you know in the next day
or two who the team members will be.”

* * *

Will crouched down and placed the bouquet
of wildflowers at the foot of the simple wooden cross that marked Hannah’s
grave.  He stared unblinkingly at the soft, pink flowers.  It was early spring;
the sun was warm on his back and he bowed his head, breathing deeply of the
good clean air.

“Hello Will.”

He didn’t look up.  “Hi Natalie.”

She sat down beside him, folding her legs
gracefully under her.  “The flowers are lovely.”

Will grunted in reply as Reuben, his tail
wagging furiously, placed his front paws on his leg.  He petted the dog roughly
as Natalie shifted position, stretching her legs out and brushing some dirt
from her pants.

“Hannah loved the spring.  Did you know
that?”

He shook his head.

“She did.  Sara preferred the summer.  She
loved swimming and summer camp and taking horseback riding lessons.  We could
barely keep that child in the house during the summer.  But Hannah was always so
quiet and shy as a child.  Always with her nose stuck in her book.  We used to
have to coax her to even go outside.  Not in the spring though.  She was right
there in the garden with me, planting seeds in the flower beds, growing small
pots of basil and parsley, watering and weeding and bringing her father out
every night to show him how much the plants had grown while he was at work.”

Natalie laughed softly.  “Jim wanted
nothing more than to put his feet up and relax after dinner but he never could
say no to Hannah.  He’d wander out in his sock feet every night and exclaim
over each tiny plant she showed him.”